Mother And Her Children Among Victims in Fatal Pueblo House Fire

Firefighters worked to put out a fire just after 2 a.m. Tuesday in Pueblo on the 1300 block of East 2nd Street.

Four lives were lost in the tragic house fire. 11 News spoke with family members about their loved ones.

Albert Hon and his wife Jennifer had had big dreams for their grandchildren. But early Tuesday morning, the children and their mother died when their house caught on fire.

"They were all precious to me, going to miss them a lot, wanted to see them grow up that's for sure,” a grief-stricken Jennifer Hon told 11 News.

Their daughter, 26-year-old April Hon and her two children, 2 year old Michael and 3-month-old Frankie didn’t make it out. Investigators say their bodies were found near the back door, and believe they were trying to escape.

A man who was also living with the family, 62-year-old Harvey Montoya, also died.

Now the Hons say all they can do is try and remember the better times.

"They were my babies too, especially Michael Dayton. He knew how to use his mom's phone and call me every day, push the button and call me Nanana,” Sandra Hon, the children's great-grandmother, said.

Fire investigators think an oxygen tank caught fire when someone was smoking inside the home. Our crew talked to neighbors who say they called 911 when they saw smoke coming from the home. Both firefighters and people in the neighborhood say they never remember seeing flames, only smoke.

The Pueblo Fire Chief says this is the most fatal fire they've worked in 25 to 30 years. This year alone six people have died in fires in Pueblo. Fire Chief Chris Riley describes 2012 as a tragic year for the city.

"The firefighters understandably are having a difficult time--they were pulling out victims of the fire. It's emotionally very trying...25 year veterans, this was the worst fire they have encountered in their 25 years,” Riley said.

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